Index-book.



l No. 738,599. PATBNTED SEPT. 8, 1903.

J..A. BEST'. INDEX BooK. APPLIUTION FILED APB. 17, 1903. N0 MODEL.

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J. A. BEST.

INDEX BOOK.

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INDEX BooK.

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INDEX BOOK.

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UNITED 'STATES atented September 8, 1903. i i

PATENT OFFICE.

INDEX- BOOK.

' SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 738,599, dated September 8, 1903.

Application filed April 1'7, 1903.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known, that I, JOHN AUSTIN BEST, of Augusta,in the county of Richmond and vState of Georgia, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Index-Books, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of anovel indexbook by which the overfiow Aof names from the alphabetic divisions allotted to them Inay be conveniently located and classified and accurately and quickly referred to and by which also the number of pages of an index may be greatly reduced without lessening the number of names to be indexed, securing the largest possible classification of names within an index of minimum size.

My invention consists in the novelconstruction and arrangement of the parts of the index, as hereinafter fully described with reference to Ithe drawings, in Whiche Figure l represents two adjacent pages of my index opened for the initial Vletter S and with names entered for the first vowel A and with the reference atthe bottom of the column to theV supplementary numberdivisions of the index which are to contain the overfiow. Fig. 2 is a similar View of the index opened at the division-numberindicated at the bottom of the columnof namesin Fig. l and showing the groupings of the overflow names. Fig. 3 is a view of the complete index as arranged along the right-hand side of the book, the book being opened at the first`- page. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are views of modifications.

Referring to Fig. 3, my index in its preferred form has two parallel rows of reference characters on the right-hand side of the page-one of initial letters, as seen at a, and

the other of.' numerals, as seen at b. 'Ihey are formedpby the cutting-in process,leavin g overlapping fiaps rising from the bottom upward. The lettered series o extends from the top of the page to the bottom, andthe numbered series b also extends from the top to the bottom. The letteredseries a has one initial letter for two or more pages, as seen at S in Fig. l, and these pages are preferably, but not necessa"V rily,divided into vertical vOwel-colu Inns A, :GEM L u 0,11 uU, HY, for the Subdivi sion and classification of the names by first vowels, and at the bottom of each column, as

Serial No. 153,067. (No moda.)

shown, or at some other suitable point on the l page there is the overflow-reference to a nu mber-,subdivision of b by the words Extended under Division No.

In the present instance the division-number of series b under which the overflow is classified' is 25. A turn to this subdivision exposes the pages seen in Fig. 2, where the overflow of the names of the initial Sand first vowel A are seen under the division 25. The pages for these number-subdivisions are divided into any number of subdivisions for each page, (six, as seen in Fig. 2,) and the index-numbers for this series b are therefore grouped in twelve numbers, 25 to 36, inclusive, so as to cover both pages, as exposed by one opening of the book. In Figs. l, 2, 3 both the alphabetical index ot and numerical division-index b are coextensive with the length of the page and are arranged parallel to each other in two columns side by side; but they may as well be arranged in a Single column, as seen in Fig. 4, with the alphabetical index a at the top and the numerical division-index b at the bottom forming a continuation of the same column. Furthermore, instead of locating the two indexes on the exposed Overlapping edges of cut-in leaves, as in Figs. l, 2, 3, I may apply the index by separately-formed tabs a2 b2, pasted onto the edge of the leaves, as in Fig. 5, either in two parallel series, after the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, or in a Siugle column, as shown in Fig. 6, after the arrangement shown in Fig. 4.

As a further modification I may, as in Fig.

v7, locate the second column of index-namen" als in an inseparable series on the protruding edge of the inside of the book-cover or blank leaf, as at b3, allowing the separable thumb-pieces b4 to remain blank and serving in such case only the mechanical value of selective action in opening the book at the proper page, (indicated by the figures seen atti.) Y

As shown, the bottom of each name-co1- umn of the alphabetical index bears the printed reference-note Extended under Division No. but it is obvious that this may be replaced by any written note of the bookkeeper-such as "see No. &c.-it being only necessary to my invention that there rsubstantially as and for the purpose deshould be a reference-space at or near the end of the namespaces for this purpose. After the overfiow of names fills one of the spaces allotted to it in the numerical indexdivision reference is to be made in said di, vision to a second numerical division for the second overflow, as shown in Fig. 8.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. An index-book having an alphabetical index on one set of pages, and a numerical index on another set of pages, both indexes being exposed along the edges of the pages, the pages of the alphabetical index being divided into name-columns having spaces appropriately designated to receive a reference to the numerical index for the overiiow of names, and the pages of the numerical index having numbered subdivisions to receive such overow of names, said subdivisions being numbered to correspond to the numbers of the numerical index exposed at the margin substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. An index-book having an alphabetical index on one set of pages and a numerical index on another set of pages, both indexes being exposed along the edges of the pages, the pages of the alphabetical index being divided into name-columns having each a separate vowel letter and also reference -spaces appropriately designated to refer to the numerical index for the overow of names, and the pages of the numerical index having numbered subdivisions, the numbers of said subdivisions corresponding to the numbers of the numerical index exposed at the margin scribed.

8. An index-book having anialphahetical 4e 'and besidethe same, the pages of the numerical index being in the latter part of the book and subdivided into numbered spaces, corresponding to the Vnumbers of the exposed part of the numerical index, to receive the overdow substantially as and for the purpose described. A

4. An index-book comprising three sets of pages; one set having an alphabetical index at the margin and being subdivided into vertical name-columns with each column appropriately designated to refer to a numerical index, the other set of pages being divided into numbered overiiow-snbdivisions and having a'verticalseries of blank finger-tabs along their margins,r and another page bearing an inseparable or unbroken numerical index arranged vertically and parallel to the series of blank finger-tabs, the unbroken numerical index having its numbers set opposite to the inger-tabs which they indicate substantially as described.

JOI-IN AUSTIN BEST.

Witnesses:

E. J. MULHEIM, J. C. FAIREY. 

